Naga Chaitanya on picking a project like Vrushakarma: ‘I wondered how to pitch the role for Indian palate’

For long, Naga Chaitanya wanted at least one larger-than-life movie in his filmography. But the Telugu movie actor was clear that it had to be a unique world, and not a spectacle film for the heck of it. Vrushakarma ticked both boxes. “I was looking for the right film to present myself in this genre. Today viewers around the world are curious about Indian folklore. What I also loved was that the mythology has been presented in a contemporary thriller format,” said the actor about the film whose teaser dropped online last week.

In director Karthik Dandu’s Telugu feature, Chaitanya portrays a treasure hunter who comes across a supernatural force. It’s a character rarely explored in Indian films. The actor elaborated, “When the director first told me I’m playing a treasure hunter, I wondered how to pitch it for the Indian palate. We’ve seen famous Hollywood films with such characters, but it’s new in our cinema. Treasure hunters are adventurous, edgy, and cool. So, it allowed me to experiment with physicality, attitude, and energy.”